Marcin Gortat

DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points before leaving with an injury, Andrea Bargnani had 21, and the Toronto Raptors routed the Knicks, 96-79, Friday night in Toronto, snapping New York's five-game winning streak. Gary Forbes scored 19 points and Jose Calderon had 10 assists as Toronto snapped a three-game skid and handed New York its first defeat under coach Mike Woodson.   Hawks 93, Nets 84 Josh Smith had 30 points and 12 rebounds to lead Atlanta over New Jersey in Atlanta.

THERE'S NO telling how different the Washington Wizards would be if they had drafted Ricky Rubio when they had the chance. The winless team couldn't be any worse than it is now. Rubio and Kevin Love controlled the game in the 93-72 win for the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves yesterday, while the Wizards were showered with boos during a 12-point fourth quarter as they dropped to 0-8. "There's really not much to say," Washington coach Flip...

Orlando's main man, Dwight Howard, spent last night at the team hotel, watching the Magic eliminate the 76ers from the playoffs. In his place, Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy started Marcin Gortat, who matches Howard in height at 6-foot-11 but lacks even a smidgen of Howard's athleticism. Also missing was Orlando's starting shooting guard, Courtney Lee, home in Orlando having surgery on a broken sinus. In his place, Van Gundy chose third-year player J.J. Redick, who presents an offensive perimeter threat, but is also a defensive liability.

Next stop for Allen Iverson . . . The Clippers? According to a report in yesterday's Los Angeles Times, the Clippers are in "very serious" talks with Iverson on a free-agent contract. In the past week, speculation was that Iverson had drawn interest from Memphis and Miami. Iverson is a four-time scoring champion who spent his first 10 1/2 seasons with the Sixers before being traded to Denver in December 2006. Last season, the Nuggets traded him to Detroit. He was limited to 57 games last season because of a bad back and averaged a career-low 17.4 points.

76ers Notes PHOENIX - On Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns, the 76ers returned Lou Williams to the lineup but were still without Andre Iguodala . Williams, who missed the previous two games to witness the birth of his daughter, took a private plane from Philadelphia on Wednesday morning and landed in Phoenix hours before the start of the game. Iguodala, who did not participate in the morning shoot-around, remained on the inactive list for the second straight game, suffering from right Achilles tendinitis.

THE PHOENIX SUNS are again shooting down Steve Nash trade rumors. Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby emphatically said that the two-time league MVP isn't going anywhere, and he added center Marcin Gortat to the untouchable list. In an email yesterday, he repeated the statement he made earlier in the day to the Arizona Republic , saying, "We are not trading Marcin Gortat, period. End of sentence. We are not trading Steve Nash, period, exclamation point. " The latest denial came after ESPN reported that the Suns were in talks with the Minnesota Timberwolves over trading Nash for the No. 2 pick in today's draft.

Talks between the Los Angeles Clippers and free-agent guard Allen Iverson have been characterized as "very serious," according a source close to the former 76ers all-star. Iverson, who turned 34 last month, was traded from the Denver Nuggets to Detroit last season and had a disappointing tenure with the Pistons. He averaged a career-low 17.5 points in 57 games with Denver and Detroit. Iverson is seeking the $5.8 million mid-level exception for next season, and one of his other potential suitors, the Miami Heat, is reportedly unwilling to offer more than $2 million for one season.

NASCAR asked a federal judge yesterday to reverse his ruling that lifted driver Jeremy Mayfield's indefinite suspension for failing a random drug test. U.S. District Judge Graham Mullen's injunction Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C., cleared Mayfield to return to competition. Mayfield had been suspended May 9 for a positive drug test, and NASCAR has identified the substance as methamphetamine. Despite his reinstatement, Mayfield did not try to qualify for Saturday's race at Daytona International Speedway.

ORLANDO - By Saturday night, the Orlando Magic looked like an entirely different team than they had only 24 hours earlier. In back-to-back deals with the Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards, the Magic traded four of their top nine players, including two starters. For Saturday night's game against the 76ers, Orlando had a makeshift starting lineup and a limited bench. Early on Saturday afternoon, news broke that the Magic traded starting shooting guard Vince Carter, big man Marcin Gortat, forward Mickael Pietrus, a 2011 first-round pick, and cash to the Suns for guard Jason Richardson, forward Hedo Turkoglu, and guard Earl Clark.

Magic eliminate Bobcats from contention The Orlando Magic overcame Quentin Richardson's ejection and Dwight Howard's 18th technical foul to beat Charlotte, 111-102, in overtime Wednesday night and eliminate the Bobcats from playoff contention in a contentious game in Charlotte, N.C. Gilbert Arenas scored 25 points for the Magic, and Jameer Nelson atoned for two turnovers in the closing seconds of regulation by hitting a jumper and banking in...

DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points before leaving with an injury, Andrea Bargnani had 21, and the Toronto Raptors routed the Knicks, 96-79, Friday night in Toronto, snapping New York's five-game winning streak. Gary Forbes scored 19 points and Jose Calderon had 10 assists as Toronto snapped a three-game skid and handed New York its first defeat under coach Mike Woodson.   Hawks 93, Nets 84 Josh Smith had 30 points and 12 rebounds to lead Atlanta over New Jersey in Atlanta.

KEVIN DURANT scored a career-best 51 points for the top performance in the NBA this season, Russell Westbrook added 40 and Serge Ibaka had his first career triple-double as the host Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets, 124-118, in overtime last night. Durant hit a three -pointer and drove for a dunk to tie the game with 4.4 seconds left in regulation, then used the extra period to chalk up the first 50-point game of his career. He walked slowly over to his mother, seated courtside, and gave her a kiss and a hug when the final horn sounded.

THERE'S NO telling how different the Washington Wizards would be if they had drafted Ricky Rubio when they had the chance. The winless team couldn't be any worse than it is now. Rubio and Kevin Love controlled the game in the 93-72 win for the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves yesterday, while the Wizards were showered with boos during a 12-point fourth quarter as they dropped to 0-8. "There's really not much to say," Washington coach Flip...

THE PHOENIX SUNS are again shooting down Steve Nash trade rumors. Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby emphatically said that the two-time league MVP isn't going anywhere, and he added center Marcin Gortat to the untouchable list. In an email yesterday, he repeated the statement he made earlier in the day to the Arizona Republic , saying, "We are not trading Marcin Gortat, period. End of sentence. We are not trading Steve Nash, period, exclamation point. " The latest denial came after ESPN reported that the Suns were in talks with the Minnesota Timberwolves over trading Nash for the No. 2 pick in today's draft.

Magic eliminate Bobcats from contention The Orlando Magic overcame Quentin Richardson's ejection and Dwight Howard's 18th technical foul to beat Charlotte, 111-102, in overtime Wednesday night and eliminate the Bobcats from playoff contention in a contentious game in Charlotte, N.C. Gilbert Arenas scored 25 points for the Magic, and Jameer Nelson atoned for two turnovers in the closing seconds of regulation by hitting a jumper and banking in...

76ers Notes PHOENIX - On Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns, the 76ers returned Lou Williams to the lineup but were still without Andre Iguodala . Williams, who missed the previous two games to witness the birth of his daughter, took a private plane from Philadelphia on Wednesday morning and landed in Phoenix hours before the start of the game. Iguodala, who did not participate in the morning shoot-around, remained on the inactive list for the second straight game, suffering from right Achilles tendinitis.

ORLANDO - By Saturday night, the Orlando Magic looked like an entirely different team than they had only 24 hours earlier. In back-to-back deals with the Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards, the Magic traded four of their top nine players, including two starters. For Saturday night's game against the 76ers, Orlando had a makeshift starting lineup and a limited bench. Early on Saturday afternoon, news broke that the Magic traded starting shooting guard Vince Carter, big man Marcin Gortat, forward Mickael Pietrus, a 2011 first-round pick, and cash to the Suns for guard Jason Richardson, forward Hedo Turkoglu, and guard Earl Clark.

Next stop for Allen Iverson . . . The Clippers? According to a report in yesterday's Los Angeles Times, the Clippers are in "very serious" talks with Iverson on a free-agent contract. In the past week, speculation was that Iverson had drawn interest from Memphis and Miami. Iverson is a four-time scoring champion who spent his first 10 1/2 seasons with the Sixers before being traded to Denver in December 2006. Last season, the Nuggets traded him to Detroit. He was limited to 57 games last season because of a bad back and averaged a career-low 17.4 points.

Talks between the Los Angeles Clippers and free-agent guard Allen Iverson have been characterized as "very serious," according a source close to the former 76ers all-star. Iverson, who turned 34 last month, was traded from the Denver Nuggets to Detroit last season and had a disappointing tenure with the Pistons. He averaged a career-low 17.5 points in 57 games with Denver and Detroit. Iverson is seeking the $5.8 million mid-level exception for next season, and one of his other potential suitors, the Miami Heat, is reportedly unwilling to offer more than $2 million for one season.

NASCAR asked a federal judge yesterday to reverse his ruling that lifted driver Jeremy Mayfield's indefinite suspension for failing a random drug test. U.S. District Judge Graham Mullen's injunction Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C., cleared Mayfield to return to competition. Mayfield had been suspended May 9 for a positive drug test, and NASCAR has identified the substance as methamphetamine. Despite his reinstatement, Mayfield did not try to qualify for Saturday's race at Daytona International Speedway.